[ExI] Electoral College

[David Lubkin]

I wrote:

>They are all smart, ethical, honorable people who put their butt on 
>the line and take their oaths of office very seriously.

John Clark replied:

>Most are but some are not, General Flynn was not honorable and 
>General Kelly is not honorable, and those are exactly the sort of 
>military men that Trump seeks out and promotes in his administration.

Flag officers (O-7 and above, i.e., the grades of general or admiral) 
are implicitly political beasts. They are usually all more 
politicians than soldiers.

The ranks that matter for freedom are the field-grade officers, O-4 
to O-6. In the USA, USAF, and USMC, that's major, lieutenant colonel, 
and colonel. In the USN and Coast Guard, that's lieutenant-commander, 
commander, and captain.

They're called field-grade because they are the ones who are actually 
leading in battle, with rare exceptions. The ones who shed the blood. 
You can also recognize them by reading their fruit salad. The 
politician in uniform is festooned with I-was-there ribbons. The 
actual warriors have the ribbons for valor. They tend to be 
troublemakers who aren't politic enough to make BG.

More than the ranks above or below, their fealty to the country and 
the Constitution is our safeguard.

Them, and the senior NCOs, who actually make things happen at an 
ossifer's behest.


-- David.